Oregon Public Broadcasting

The slowing economy continues to hit Northwest newspapers hard. The Seattle Times is cutting 130 to 150 positions. Most of those layoffs are expected this week. Correspondent Anna King reports.

In a letter to employees, Seattle Times managers say circulation and Web traffic at the paper are actually healthy. But with declining ad revenue and a worldwide economic slowdown, the newspaper has to cut costs.

The Seattle Times offered voluntary buyouts for some staffers and plans to layoff others. Susan Kelleher is a reporter with the Seattle Times.

Susan Kelleher: "It’s just so odd to be working at a time when more people than ever are reading what we do, and yet we are cutting back."

The cuts at the Seattle Times follow announcements last week from local TV stations. Their ad revenue fell sharply after the elections. Eastern Washington’s KVEW announced it's eliminating its 6 p.m. newscast and 17 news positions in Yakima and the Tri-Cities.